Publishers will donate 12.83 million yuan (US$1.85 million) worth of children's books to young readers in quake-hit Sichuan Province to mark Children's Day, which falls on June 1.

The 22 children's book publishers include China Juvenile and Children's Books Publishing House, Petrel Publishing House and Juvenile & Children's Publishing House.

Most of the books contain popular fairy tales, science stories and knowledge for children. Andersen's Fair Tales, written in Denmark, are highly popular with Chinese children. So is the Pipilu series, written during the 1980s about a clever, kind-hearted boy who's a bit naughty, and Mr. Know All.

Besides the books, the 21st Century Publishing House, publisher of the Pipilu series, and Zheng Yuanjie, the author, donated 600,000 yuan to quake-stricken communities.

These books are now on their way to Sichuan, with some one million yuan worth of books donated by Tomorrow Publishing House already in the hands of children there.

The donations follow the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee's call to send reading matter to children in the disaster zone for Children's Day.

The May 12 quake that hit Sichuan left nearly 70,000 people known dead, 365,399 injured and 19,350 still missing as of Thursday noon. Millions are homeless, among them many children who are attending makeshift "tent schools" while their communities rebuild.

The number of unattached children in Sichuan had dropped to 1,000 as of Wednesday as more were reunited with their parents. Those still alone are at children's homes or with relatives, awaiting adoption, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

Last weekend, about 5,500 children were alone in the quake zone, either because they had been orphaned or their parents could not be located.

(Xinhua News Agency May 30, 2008)